Conversations about the opportunities for sustainable stewardship, food advocacy, and neighborhood equity through food and the community around it.
Attendees will have the opportunity to learn and ask questions about trends, personal stories, and challenges from local vendors who are passionate and knowledgeable about food.
This is an opportunity for attendees to nourish their taste buds with the best local food trucks. The Detroitisit Food Awards will also be announced at this time.
The Business of Food Summit is your chance to connect with a diverse group of experts, educators, entrepreneurs, foodies, marketers, and suppliers from the culinary world, as well as the local community. Come join us to learn something new, ask questions, and enjoy a safe and collaborative environment.
9:35 AM to 10:30 AM
Explore food security, its connection to justice and equity, and the path to a sustainable future. Discover the roots of food insecurity and innovative solutions to address them. Learn about food sovereignty, building autonomy, and creating resilient cities. Don’t miss this opportunity to shape a more equitable and secure food system.
10:35 AM to 11:30 AM
Discover how reusing food waste enhances the food supply and reduces waste. Learn about its impact on climate change, particularly in the restaurant industry. Explore soil-based solutions, flawed expiration dates, and portion size challenges. Gain insights into Michigan’s contribution to greenhouse gases and the need for composting. We’ll discuss the challenges faced by food waste facilitators and the importance of public education. Together, let’s create a more sustainable future.
Doers Edge LLC
Moderator
Detroit Green Task Force Organic Recycling Committee
Speaker
Area Manager Of Sustainable Growth, WM.
Speaker,
RRS, NextCycle MI
Speaker
EGLE
Speaker
11:35 AM - 12:30 PM
Learn how industry leaders use innovation to tackle food challenges. Explore tech, strategy, business, and design innovations in the food industry. Learn how smartphones drive the food truck model. Discover strategies to support and revitalize restaurants post-COVID. Explore innovation zones and their impact on Detroit. Address challenges, create social impact, and promote equity through tech and design. Apply innovation thinking to sustainability solutions. Don’t miss this opportunity to shape the future success of Detroit’s food landscape.
Monitor Institute by Deloitte
Moderator
The Office of Sustainability, City Of Detroit
Speaker
Ross School of Business, University of Michigan Professor of Management and Sociology
Speaker
Chief Executive Officer, Eastern Market Partnership
12:30 - 1:30 PM
1:35 PM - 2:30 PM
Learn about funding’s impact on food advocacy, sustainability, and equity. Explore new funding concepts for food waste and urban farming. Discuss methodologies for equitable food systems and the effectiveness of different funding sources. Examine the role of racial inequality and policy. Discover alternatives to centralized funding for equitable access. Explore the balance between land, farming, and space. Learn about building social capital and equity in the Black community. Join the conversation on policy, funding, and equity in the food system.
The Planning And Development Department, City Of Detroit
Moderator
Executive Director, New Economy Initiative
Speaker
Detroit Community Wealth Fund
Speaker
Detroit Food Policy Council
Speaker
Business Support Network Office
Speaker
2:35 PM - 3:30 PM
Panelists will discuss developing a roadmap for farmers and grocers in Detroit. Explore models for a food sovereign city with urban farms and grocers. Learn about aligning food security to urban farming and overcoming challenges. Discover the role of grocers in Detroit and simplifying access to farm-fresh produce. Discuss converting the public to healthy eating and available support. Explore urban farming setup and the mission of grocers in building a healthy food system.
Detroit Green Task Force Organic Recycling Committee
Moderator
Deeply Rooted Produce & Deeply Rooted Garden Inc.
Speaker
MSU Extension Detroit Partnership For Food, Learning and Innovation
Speaker
Coriander Kitchen and Farm
Speaker
Program Director, Northend Christian
Speaker
3:30 - 3:45 PM
3:50 PM - 4:45 PM
Learn about post-Covid business success. Explore staffing, costs, and adjusted hours. Address pitfalls, longevity, and access to capital in Detroit. Discover the relationship between businesses and their communities. Learn about building neighborhood culture through food and fostering resiliency. Discuss retail expansion, awards, and the importance of locally sourced ingredients. Explore how restaurants tackle food waste, sustainability, equity, and justice in Detroit’s food culture.
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
DJ
Spend the day with us and learn from inspiring speakers and participate in conversations around the important topic of food in Detroit.
Experience small businesses working in the food space and learn what they are offering. While tasting from food trucks and enjoying a cash bar and fun after hours!
Get ready for the ultimate foodie experience at the Summit!
Join us for a mouth-watering food truck-tasting event, where you’ll have the opportunity to sample the most delicious dishes from the best food trucks in the region, and vote on a winner!
The Food Truck Competition Judging Experience invites six carefully selected food trucks to showcase their culinary skills in a unique competition judged by a select group of 100 foodies.
At the Summit, you’ll receive your food truck tasting pass, which includes the names of the participating food trucks. Visit each truck to receive a sample of their best dish.
After tasting each food truck’s specialty, cast your vote on the Summit app for the best-tasting truck.
The Detroitisit Food Awards will connect the food community to favorite dining spots – and highlight the best of what they do, which is to feed, excite, and bring us together.
Nomination categories: Most Sustainable, Best Location, Best Fine Dining
Founder & CEO
Chicago-based artist
Founder and Executive Director
The Detroit Business of Food Summit offers the perfect platform to showcase your brand, connect with new customers, and grow your business in the region and beyond. Don’t wait, seize this chance to network with the culinary elites and experience unparalleled business opportunities.
The Detroit Business of Food Summit is the epicenter of innovation and growth for all food-related businesses. Whether you’re a restaurant owner, a startup entrepreneur, a sustainability advocate, or an established distributor, the Summit provides a unique and immersive experience of the business of food.
Existing business owners can gain valuable knowledge and resources to help drive their businesses forward and stay competitive in an ever-evolving market. You’ll have the opportunity to connect with fellow owners, uncover solutions, and reward your food business with a unique experience.
The summit provides an opportunity for new businesses and start-ups to showcase their products and services, network with potential investors and partners, and gain exposure to a wider audience. New businesses and start-ups can gain the knowledge and resources needed to navigate the challenges of starting and growing a food business, and position themselves for long-term success.
As a restaurant owner, you need to stay on top of industry trends and best practices. The Detroit Business of Food Summit offers networking opportunities to inspire innovation and growth, as well as connections with like-minded individuals who share your passion for the culinary arts.
Sustainability is a critical issue in the food industry, and the Food Summit offers a platform to showcase sustainable practices and solutions. You’ll have the chance to connect with experts in sustainability, share your ideas and solutions, and learn from other businesses that are committed to making a positive impact on the environment.
At the summit, attendees can connect with other advocates, gain insights from industry leaders, and participate in discussions on topics such as food access, food sovereignty, and social justice. The Business of Food Summit provides an opportunity for food justice advocates to showcase their work, collaborate with potential partners, and elevate the conversation around food justice.
Food waste innovators should attend the Business of Food Summit to learn about innovative solutions and strategies for reducing food waste, connect with other innovators, and gain exposure to a wider audience.
3434 Russell St Suite 501, Detroit, MI 48207
Questions? Contact us at hi@detroitisit.com.
Since 2007, Carmody has served as president of Detroit’s Eastern Market Corporation (EMC) where he leads the nonprofit charged with converting one of Detroit’s most venerable institutions into one of the nation’s most comprehensive healthy metropolitan food hubs. EMC works with a wide variety of partners to build a great urban neighborhood around the market, to increase the supply of and demand for healthy food throughout Detroit, and to create new ventures and employment throughout the food supply chain.
Founder and publisher of Detroitisit, Ivana keeps busy with clients, projects, some cooking, and exploring as many nooks and crannies of the city she loves and calls home. As the former founding editor of Detroit-based, international award-winning Clear Magazine, she loves discovering talent and promoting innovative communication programs.
Jerry Davis is a professor of management and sociology at the University of Michigan and faculty director of Business+Impact. He received his PhD at Stanford and previously taught at Northwestern and Columbia. His new book is “Taming corporate power in the 21st century.” At UM he teaches about using equity-centered design and technology to create new kinds of enterprise.
Jack Akinlosotu is the Director of the Office of Sustainability at the City of Detroit. He is a native of Sacramento, California, and has spent the last seven years in Washington, D.C., working on climate change solutions in both the public, private, and non-profit spaces. He worked on renewable energy and clean transportation programs at the D.C. Department of Energy & Environment, along with an EDF Climate Corps Fellowship with the New York Mayor’s Office of Sustainability. He is a Fellow at the Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI) and a George Washington University Sustainable Urban Planning Program graduate. He lives on the East side of Detroit.
Prior to joining Deloitte, Sara spent 15 years in the nonprofit and government sectors. First as a federal employee with the U.S.D.A. focused on hunger and nutrition policy and then with the United Way for Southeastern Michigan where she led large-scale community impact grant-making, public-private collective impact initiatives, and health and basic needs related strategies to support child well-being and household stability.
Community activist Natosha Tallman has cultivated a long career in programming and funding development for marginalized populations and the workforce. She is also a co-facilitator of the Northend Co-op Academy, in partnership with the Detroit Community Wealth Fund and the Detroit Justice Center. This led her to becoming the owner of IMX Innovations Group, a consulting group specializing in capacity building, marketing, and fund development for non-profit and for profit organizations with an L3C designation. She is a co-owner, of STUFFED Detroit LLC, a fresh food co-operative cafe.
Gwen believes in growing with diversity in mind. Her philosophy and technique is to mimic a fuller sort of ecosystem to maintain space for all of the creatures that will inevitably end up on the farm, and to work a balance into the equation from the start. Gwen manage the farm that grows baby transplants in the spring and full grown vegetables, herbs, edible flowers, and bouquet flowers throughout the growing season. Coriander is a women owned farm and is the only restaurant in Detroit that is both a farm and the table.
Stathis Pauls is MSU Extension’s Detroit Partnership for Food, Learning and Innovation site manager and program coordinator. Stathis has a commitment to spread knowledge, passion, and connection to others seeking to grow their relationship with food, farming, and nature. Over the past decade, he’s worked in various sectors of the food system including farmers markets, garden resource programs, educational farms, food security, and forestry.
Dazmonique is a Detroiter who loves to grow perennial fruits and takes a holistic approach to food sovereignty. HShe is the founder and director of operations of Deeply Rooted Produce and President of Deeply Rooted Gardens. She was the former secretary and sustainable agriculture seat at the Detroit Food Policy Council. She was also listed as a Changemaker in The Moment a book of Social Justice by Steve Ffifer.
Paul is the Director at Business Support Network Office housed in Invest Detroit. He works to asses advancing the partnership of the New Economy Intiative, Invest Detroit, and Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan’s mission which is to strengthen an inclusive small business support network of nonprofit business organizations in Wayne County. Paul has served as the Executive Director of the Detroit site of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program. Prior to that, Paul founded TIVA Capital Advisors, a virtual CFO company focused on data analytics, financial literacy, and value extraction. As a serial entrepreneur, he was also the co-founder and CEO of IPX EG International, a telecom company headquartered in West Africa, after which exiting in 2017 he returned to his hometown of Detroit.
Winona Bynum is executive director of the Detroit Food Policy Council an education, advocacy and policy organization led by Detroiters committed to creating a sustainable, local food system that promotes food security, food justice and food sovereignty in the city of Detroit. Winona, a native Detroiter, is dedicated to helping others gain access to the knowledge and foods needed to make healthier choices. A registered dietitian/nutritionist and a graduate of WSU’s Coordinated Program in Dietetics, Winona studied Public Health at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Ethical Leadership at UoD Mercy. She serves on the board of directors of Diversify Dietetics; a nonprofit increasing the racial and ethnic diversity in nutrition by empowering nutrition leaders of color, and is on the board of the Michigan Nutrition and Dietetics Institute. She previously served as Chair of the National Organization of Blacks and Dietetics and as president of the Southeastern Michigan Dietetic Association.
Dave brings over 30 years of working in food-related cooperatives to his job as a project steward at the Detroit Community Wealth Fund. The Wealth Fund supports cooperative economic development through business training, borrower-friendly financing, and ongoing collaboration for worker-owned cooperatives. The Wealth Fund works with both start-ups and with business owners wishing to transition from private ownership to worker-ownership.
Edwina S. King, a native Detroiter, has made it her mission to give back to the city that gave her so much. With more than 15 years of
policy experience, she serves as the Associate Director of Legislative Affairs & Equitable Development for the City of Detroit’s Planning and Development Department. Here, she leads
the department’s legislative activities including briefings and policy recommendations regarding urban planning and community engagement via the Community Benefits Ordinance, Community Outreach Ordinance, and other special projects. Edwina has a B.A. in Political Science with a concentration in Black Politics from Howard University and a University of Detroit Mercy School of Law – Juris Doctor. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., New Leaders Council, NAACP, UNCF-DIAC, The Association of Black Law Alumni at University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and the Michigan Municipal League – Economic Development Subcommittee. She is the recipient of the Spirit of Detroit Award, Wayne County Certificate of Leadership Award, the 2019 Spirit of the Dream Award from the United Negro College Fund and was named one of the Michigan Chronicle’s Women of Excellence for 2020.
Wafa has a multifaceted career in the private and public sector and is seasoned at developing partnerships between business and government, community development, strategic planning, and communication. As the executive director for NEI, a project of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, she leads the program and grantmaking activities for entrepreneurship-based donors of the Community Foundation. She also cultivates public support for inclusive entrepreneurship and small business development-related initiatives. Previously, Wafa directed economic development for Wayne County, and her experience has also included diplomatic work, where she led operations for the Department of Defense while assigned to Defense Attache Offices in U.S. embassies around the world.
In 2021 Mamba Hamissi opened Baobab Fare, an East African restaurant with his wife Nadia Nijimbere, after immigrating to
Detroit in 2015. In 2021 Baobab Fare was awarded The Best New Restaurant In America, in 2022 The Best New Restaurant In Metro Detroit, The Best New Restaurant In America, and received the State of Michigan Award in both 2021 and 2023. Mamba received two nominations for James Beard Semifinalist for Best Chef with his wife Nadia and in 2023 became a Food Network Chopped Champion.
Jared Gadbaw learned to cook at some of the most notable restaurants in New York. During his 10-year stint at Michael White’s Marea, he helped the restaurant earn two Michelin stars and a James Beard award. After cooking worldwide and opening restaurants in Hong Kong and Istanbul, Jared returned to Detroit to open Oak & Reel, where he is the chef and owner. He has also formed a partnership with Featherstone Garden, which has 2 farms in Detroit where they will be reserving a plot of land and growing product exclusively for Oak & Reel.
Growing up in Singapore, Ping Ho attributes her love of good food to time spent with her grandmother, shopping in the wet markets and eating the best home-cooked meals. This led her to founding and co-owning The Royce, a wine bar and shop, and two restaurants, Marrow and Mink, in Detroit. The Royce has been named one of the Top 50 Retailers by Wine Enthusiast. Marrow is a four-time James Beard nominated restaurant and butcher shop, which Food & Wine Magazine named as one of the country’s best
shops. Ping’s latest venture is Marrow Detroit Provisions, a protein company based in the Eastern Market.
Mary Bishop is a vegan food consultant and nutrition educator. Her company, The Vegan Mary, offers a suite of services ranging from
one-on-one coaching and culinary classes to professional recipe development and corporate training. She holds a Masters of Science Administration from Central Michigan University, a Plant-based Nutrition certificate from Cornell University and CHEF Coaching certificate from Harvard Medical School.
Nicole Chardoul, P.E., CHMM, CCP, draws upon 20+ years of expertise in healthcare sustainability support services, waste and
resource management, organics recovery program design, site design, engineering, and construction management. She is a licensed professional engineer, certified hazardous materials manager, and certified compost professional, is Principal and Vice President at Resource Recycling Systems, a resource management consulting firm headquartered in Ann Arbor, MI. She served as Chair of the Washtenaw County, Michigan, Food Policy Council. Nicole received a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from UoM.
Dave Bower believes in the importance of cultivating a circular economy and how it takes all of us to work collectively and collaboratively to build a more sustainable future. WM is leveraging its infrastructure, innovation, and expertise, and working to set a bold sustainability vision for the future: one where material is repurposed, energy is renewable, and communities are thriving.
Michelle V. Jackson, is a fourth generation farmer working with partners to transform the urban landscape by using compost and compost systems to connect the dots between urban farming and climate change. Sustainable Community Farms is one of three compost pilots to be awarded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and is allocate funding by the Detroit City Council for additional curbside food scraps collection as a pilot program. As the Chair of the Detroit Green Task Force Organic Recycling Committee, Michelle works to identify pathways for future work in urban areas for sustainability. Michelle accepted an invitation to speak at the White House about the affect climate change has on small farmers. She was chosen to sit on the Environmental Justice Work Group created by Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib of the 13th District and has been nominated as the Co-chair of the Climate Reality Detroit Chapter.
Shelby Wyche is an Urban Planner with the City of Detroit, working on building healthy and sustainable neighborhoods. Before working in the city, she worked with multiple food organizations, including Eastern Market, where she focused on helping the community access affordable nourishing food. She received her master’s degree in urban planning from WSU. A lifelong Detroiter, Shelby serves on the Detroit Food Policy Council and the Michigan Association of Planning’s Social Equity Committee.
Gary Ringer is a Detroit Firefighter who has been recognized locally
and nationally for his leadership and advocacy to advance health
equity. Gary is one of twelve leaders from across the country who
the National Association of Community Health Workers (NACHW)
selected for the Advance CHW Project, sponsored by Johnson and
Johnson
ReMark Composting Solutions (Co-founder & CEO/president)
Renee has been a facilitative leader, business consultant and coach for over three decades, specializing in development of strategic engagement and execution systems for industry and community-based organizations. She is committed to advancing composting as a climate gamechanger and has a body of concentrated work in Detroit and the state of Michigan. Reneé is the CEO of Doers Edge LLC, the Executive Director of FoodPLUS Detroit, and she Co-Founded ReMark Composting Solutions where she acts as CEO and President.
Chanell Scott Contreras leads the growth and transformation of ProsperUs Detroit into a certified Community Development Financial Institution. With over 15 years of experience in community economic development, Chanell fosters equitable opportunities through innovative partnerships. She co-founded Guffly, a fair-trade, eco-friendly eCommerce company, and is an alumnus of National Urban Fellows. Chanell and her team aim to disrupt inequitable systems, empowering community members to become successful entrepreneurs. Chanell has a Bachelor’s from UoM and a Master’s from Baruch College, she is the only Black woman leader of a CDFI in Michigan.
